Korean Journal of Policy Studies

Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University

Korean J. Policy Stud. 2020; 35(3):1-34

pISSN: 1225-5017, eISSN: 2765-2807

Article

Determinants of Public Service Career Choice in Developing Countries*

Yongjin Chang¹

¹Yongjin Chang is an associate professor in the Faculty of Global Management at Chuo University in Hachioji, Japan. E-mail: yongjin.01g@g.chuo-u.ac.jp.

© Copyright 2020 Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: May 14, 2020; Revised: May 20, 2020; Revised: Jul 06, 2020; Accepted: Oct 19, 2020

Published Online: Dec 31, 2020

Abstract

This study examines factors influencing public service career choice in developing countries through case studies and a survey. Based on the results of these case studies and survey, I conclude that job security, public service motivation, social recognition and status, and the opportunity for career development are important determinants in why individuals in developing countries choose a public service career. Bureaucratic power and family-related factors also play a role and reflect the high power distance and collectivist culture of developing countries.

Keywords: public service career choice; developing countries; case studies; job security